Simon Mitton: Fred Hoyle, Kartoniert / Broschiert

Beschreibung

The scientific life of Fred Hoyle (1915 2001) was truly unparalleled. During his career he wrote groundbreaking scientific papers and caused bitter disputes in the scientific community with his revolutionary theories. Hoyle is best known for showing that we are all, literally, made of stardust in his paper explaining how carbon, and then all the heavier elements, were created by nuclear reactions inside stars. However, he constantly courted controversy and two years later he followed this with his 'steady state' theory of the universe. This challenged another model of the universe, which Hoyle called the 'big bang' theory. Fred Hoyle was also famous amongst the general public. He popularised his research through radio and television broadcasts and wrote best-selling novels. Written from personal accounts and interviews with Hoyle's contemporaries, this book gives valuable personal insights into Fred Hoyle and his unforgettable life.

Inhaltsangabe

Foreword Paul Davies; Prologue; 1. An end and a beginning; 2. Training for cosmology; 3. The star makers; 4. Hoyle's secret war; 5. The nature of the Universe; 6. Lives of the stars; 7. Clash of Titans; 8. Origin of the chemical elements; 9. Matters of gravity; 10. Mountains to climb; 11. The watershed; 12. Stones, bones, bugs and accidents; Acknowledgements; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Klappentext

Written from personal accounts and interviews with his contemporaries, this book gives valuable insights into Fred Hoyle's unforgettable life.